Baseball Heroes

Official lyrics not available. Transcription below is a rough draft, with unclear portions italicized.

Let’s take a look at the situation
Size it up right from the start
The team’s been together just a little too long
For a little bit losing to tear them apart
They were deep in the stall
When state hit the ball
And you might think there’s nothing to gain
For a Bidston Indian if nobody cares if you are losing again

Who wants to be a Baseball Hero
Out in the centre field sun
Sitting on the edge of a hometown ledge
Always waiting for that final run

Yeah the ball went up and it didn’t come down
They were sitting by the side of the track
Somebody said did you see that
As he pulled a loosie from a Lucky Strike pack
They knew all of the pitchers and all of the hitters
From listening to the AFN radio
But you don’t snatch the catch
When the glove don’t fit ya
If you don’t know Uncle Sam from Uncle Joe

Who wants to be a Baseball Hero
Out in the centre field sun
Sitting on the edge of a hometown ledge
Always waiting for that final run

Well, I had a dream, it was just the other night
That the Indians were stateside bound
There wasn’t another team who could stay in sight
Or stand a chance of holding them down
Well they're all back home and they drifted away
And these days they got too much to lose
But maybe they remembered when they said I’d liked to play
That I can’t afford no red and white shoes

Who wants to be a Baseball Hero
Out in the centre field sun
Sitting on the edge of a hometown ledge
Always waiting for that final run
For that final run

Who wants to be a Baseball Hero
Out in the centre field sun
Sitting on the edge of a hometown ledge
Always waiting for that final run
For that final run

“My father had just return from his national service in Egypt with the RAF [...] He and his friends all wanted to be Americans. They even started a team called the Bidston Indians and took to standing around in wire-rimmed sunglasses and old USAAF flying jackets with a cartoon Indian painted on the back.”— Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, 2015.

“Q: Have you ever been to a baseball game?

A: No, but my Dad used to play in a local league on Merseyside in the late 1940’s – he played for the Bidston Indians – I believe the game was introduced by the G.I.s during the Second World War and flourished for a few years afterwards.”